Human Security in the Asia Pacific Region

This book is a compendium of socio-political studies of the Asia Pacific Region following the Human Security paradigm. The Human Security perspective is interdisciplinary, holistic, and has a normative bias in favor of the individual. “Freedom from want” and “freedom from fear” are the two main components of Human Security. “Freedom from want” refers to basic needs such as food and shelter while “freedom from fear” includes identity needs as well as physical safety. Both components are interrelated and necessary in order to attain a state of Human Security. Another important aspect of the Human Security approach is that the basic unit of study is the individual rather than the nation-state. In other words, the goal is the security of the “human” not a territory or governmental entity. The previously mentioned characteristics make the Human Security paradigm a very flexible theoretical approach to study interdisciplinary social phenomena. The Asia Pacific Region is one of the most dynamic and heterogeneous systems of the world. While the concept of an Asia Pacific Region remains ambiguous, it is usually understood to encompass the countries with coasts in the Pacific Ocean. This is a very large region which includes countries as different as China and Costa Rica. How is the concept of the Asia Pacific Region useful and meaningful? The Asia Pacific Region is more than just a geographic area, it is a socio-economic system encompassing a vast array of cultures and peoples. Thus, the concept of an Asia Pacific Region is meant to label a perception of both peoples in the region as well as outside observers, that there are important links between the peoples in the region. Links include trade, culture, migration, politics, inter alia. Integration is occurring at a global level through the process of globalization while local identities are also becoming more important through a parallel process of localization. The result of this has been an increased awareness of the inherent weaknesses of traditional theories of international relations and international studies used to understand the Asia Pacific Region.